Ieans for sinking caissons in the ground



(No Model.)

J. McADAMS. MEANS FOR SINKING GAISSONS IN THE GROUND.

No. 587,126. Patented July 2-7, 1897. r

Wneame NITED STATES JAMES MOADAMS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO MAX AUGSBURGER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

MEANS FOR SINKING CAlSSONS IN THE GROUND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 587,126, dated July 27, 1897.

Application filed February 18, 1897. Serial No. 624,019. (No model.)

T l whom it may CO the plow-teeth a, is toothed or serrated for Be it known that 1, JAMES MOADAMS, of the the same purpose of tearing up and disintecity and county of New York, in the State of grating the ground. The hollow shaft or tube New York, have invented new and useful Im- B is represented (see Figs. 1 and 4) as having 5 provements in Means for Sinking Oaissons in lateral openings 0.

the Ground, of which the following is a specifi- The shaft B is setup centrally within the cation. I caisson in guides or bearings D and E. The A machine or device embodying my invenupper guide D consists of a beam placed tion comprises means for disintegrating the across and secured in any suitable manner to IO ground within the circumference of the oaisthe top of the caisson and containinga bushson and means for removing the disintegrated ing d for the shaft or tube B. The lower matter from within the caisson by the introguide E consists of a yoke which is loosely duction among the disintegrated particles of fitted to the shaft and placed across the caissuflicient water to bring said particles to a son above the plow O and secured in any I 5 state of pulp or render them amenable to the suitable manner to the sides of the caisson. action of a pump or other apparatus of simi- The said shaft or tube is furnished with an lar character, by which they are withdrawn external collar or shoulder 6 below the guide from the interior of the caisson. or bearing D for the purpose of holding down I will first describe my invention in detail the shaft with the plow-teeth slightly below 20 with reference to the accompanying drawings, the lower edge of the caisson. The weight of and afterward point out its novelty in claims. the caisson to be sunk is thus all supported Figure 1 represents a central vertical secon the shaft and broughtto bear thereon for tion of a cylindrical caisson and an elevation assisting in giving to the latter the necessary of an apparatus embodying my invention appressure to force the plow-teeth into the 25 plied thereto. Fig. 2 represents a horizontal ground within the caisson.

section in the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a Any suitable means may be provided for horizontal section in the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; giving rotary motion to the shaft or tube B Fig. 4, a horizontal section of the central shaft and attached plow-as, for example, a bevelof the apparatus in the line 4 4 of Fig. 1. gear f on the shaft or tube, gearing with a 0 Fig. '5 represents a side view of one of the bevel-gear g on a suitable driving-shaft h.

teeth of the plow which constitutes one of the Any suitable means may be provided for the features of my apparatus. introduction of water into the caisson outside Similar letters of reference designate correthe shaft or tube and the withdrawal of such sponding parts in all the figures. water therefrom charged with the solid mat- 8 5 5 A is'the caisson, consisting of a cylinder ter disintegrated and stirred up by the plow.

open at top and bottom. Any suitable means may be likewise provided B is the tube, constituting the shaft, which for introducing water into the shaft or tube is hollow throughout its whole length and B, at the upper end thereof, and for Withdrawopen at the top and bottom. On the lower ing the said water with the disintegrated solid 40 part of this shaft is a cross-head O, in which matter with which it is charged. Ihave repare strong teeth a of any suitable formfor resented in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 a hose 2' for ininstance, like the teeth of a cultivating-plow troducing water into the caisson and a suctionthe said cross-head and teeth constituting a pipe of a centrifugal or other pump for withplow for the purpose of plowing or tearing up drawing the water and disintegrated matter 5 and disintegrating the ground at the bottom therefrom. For introducing water into and of the caisson. One or more of the said teeth withdrawing it through the tube or shaft I should project slightly beyond the circumferhave represented in Fig. 1 the pipes is Z of what ence of the caisson, as shown in Fig. 1, to is known as an air-lift apparatus. make sufficient clearance for the descent of The operation of this apparatus is as fol- 10o .50 the caisson. The lower edge I) of the shaft, lows: Rotary motion being given to the holwhich is about on a level with the points of low shaft B and plow G and a copious supply of water being introduced into the caisson, the plow and the serrated lower edge of the shaft tear up and disintegrate the ground at the bottom within and under the lower edge of the caisson, th'e plow at the same time stirring up the disintegrated matter in the water and reducing it to a state of pulp or keeping it in suspension therein while the pump draws the water and disintegrated matter from the caisson by the pipej. If the air-lift or other water-elevating device applied within the hollow shaft B is also used, the water which flows from the caisson into the said shaft through the openings 0 is drawn upward from the said shaft, carrying with it such of the matter disintegrated by the teeth at the lower edge of the said shaft as enters the said shaft at the bottom or through its lateral openings 0. If the water be drawn off only through the pipe j, it will take with it not only the matter disintegrated outside of the shaft, but that which passes out from the shaft through the open ings c, the said openings providing for a free circulation of water between the interior of the shaft and the surrounding space in the caisson.

As the ground is torn up within and around the edge of the caisson the caisson will descend by its own weight and the aid of the weight of the shaft B and its attached disintegrating appliances and of the guides attached to the caisson for the centering of the said shaft and attached appliances.

After the caisson has been sunk to the requisite depth the guides D E can be unbolted from it, and then the guides and the shaft and its attached disintegrating appliances can all be removed from the caisson, leaving the latter in the ground.

This invention is intended more particularly for the sinking of caissons to serve as foundations for buildings.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is 1. A device for use in sinking a caisson by disintegrating the ground within it and removing t-he disintegrated matter from it, comprising a rotary shaft hollow throughout and open at top and bottom and having unobstructed lateral openings, a plow affixed to the lower part of said shaft, and guides for said shaft attached directly to the caissons to be sunk, substantially as herein described.

2. A device for use in sinking a caissonby disintegrating the ground within it and removing the disintegrated matter from it, comprising a rotary shaft hollow throughout and open at top and bottom and having lateral openings in its lower part, a plow aflixed to said shaft above said lateral openings, and guides for said shaft attached directlyto the caisson to be sunk, substantially as herein described.

3. A device for use in sinkingaeaisson comprising a rotary shaft hollow throughout and open at top and bottom and having lateral openings and an external shoulder, aplow affixed to said shaft, and a guide for the said shaft attached to the caisson to be sunk and supporting the latter upon the shoulder of the shaft, substantially as herein described.

4. A device for use in sinking acaisson by disintegrating the ground within it and removing the disintegrated matter from it, comprising a rotary shaft hollow throughout and open at top and bottom and having lateral openings in the lower part thereof, a plow affixed to said shaft, guides for said shaft attached directly to the caisson to be sunk, and means for introducing water to the caisson and into said shaft and for withdrawing from the caisson and shaft the said water and the disintegrated matter, substantially as herein described.

JAMES MCADAMS.

Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, B. B. SEWARD. 

